What are you smoking?

real-time machine is imagination. It can neir be conquered r curbed and rein lies challenge of 21st century where competition between man and machine to dominate will be fought and fraught with uncertainties and hirto unkwn risks. We are certainly t moving towards a brave new world, but are we retreating into pigeonholes of suspicion and fear? If anyone can tell me what next two years or even one will mean to comity of nations and ir relationships within and outside and growth of communities and people, I’d ask m what y are smoking.

Earlier this week, I h opportunity to speak at Raisina Dialogue* in New Delhi. topic was: Trust in Tech: A New Framework for Digital Security and Prosperity. participants included a cybersecurity expert, he of Jigsaw in United States (US) and a retail banking he in Europe in charge of security (Société Générale). “Is digital realm an Impossible Triangle, where national security, privacy, and ecomic growth are impossible to be served equally” was question on table. I have lived through era of telephones to iPhones passing through fax machines and an early user of web (one of first few women in Switzerland).

During three days of meetings and discussions with policymakers, politicians, members of armed forces, media, and foreign policy experts one question that recurred was – does anyone kw where world is heed? corollary to that question is if people are unsure, n foundation upon which y stood and pontificated must be examined and examined very closely. Techlogy is t reason world is in a mess. Human beings have arrived here all by mselves and must w find ir way out – just like when y left caves to see what lies ahe. It was as dangerous n as w, techlogy or techlogy.

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I believe re are two s of human beings in world today - BC and AC to mean before computers and after computers. Techlogy by itself is t a menace.

Human error and human greed, megalomania and selfish behaviour by people and nations have brought us to a situation where trust has t only evaporated, but it has left fear in its wake. As multilateral systems, dodder and nation states get eir hemmed in or even redefined, as United States (US) withdraws from Afghanistan and as China makes forays into all spheres of ecomic activity and Europe remains mum, who is new boss on bloc? Will it be corporations or governments, communities or citizens’ collectives? re is a new cold war on, isn’t it and one of any stature or experience is willing to call it that.

re are easy answers as succinctly summed up by Raisina Dialogue banner – new geometries, fluid partnerships, and uncertain outcomes. “In a world buffeted by multiple hewinds, it appears that we are experiencing a dearth of progressive leership. How can individuals and institutions rise above political divides that are inhibiting a new consensus,” asked Samir Saran President Observer Research Foundation (ORF) which organises Raisina Dialogue.

consensus is a word that has fallen off high tables of governments worldwide. It has been replaced by fear. Fear of tre wars, fear of China and US, fear of domestic upheavals, fear of ricalisation, fear of poverty and disease, fear of hunger, fear of rical shift in government in Brazil and fear of what next in Syria – fear is new black. Unfortunately, in an unjust world, all is put into one big basket without much reflection. re is deep fear and uncertainty over tritional tring blocs be it G 7, G 20, ASEAN, or European Union (EU). relationship between EU and US is at its 70 – year low. Russian President Vlimir Putin held a marathon annual press conference in December 2018 laying out where he thought world was heed. Europe responded with silence, China just took te and US President Donald Trump tweeted.

where are se upheavals felt more acutely as in international tre that has a direct impact on everything from goods and services to finances and people. re are thing technical tre talks. y are political from word go and India is among least prepared to protect itself from becoming a fringe player in global value chain.

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As I listened and engd, one question I asked myself often was this. Is India, world’s largest democracy just a venue, a firewall against China that many strong nations fear? Is India only a market where countries can sell ir goods and services and eng in massive dumping? Is world playing lip service to India and if so, why is New Delhi allowing it?

A few pointers should make India sit up in worry. Ten of world’s top twenty container ports are based in China. Experts break global merchandise tre that is placed at some US$ 16 trillion into small (30 percent value) and big baskets (70 percent value). You guessed it right – India belongs in former category and 70 per cent of that is tring in diamonds, meat, rice etc. This is certainly t stuff that makes a country of 1.3 billion strong and reliable.

I started this piece by word trust in techlogy. Hope we will never come to a situation when we will ask ourselves if techlogy trusts us. Trust is holy grail of all relationships wher y are between people or nations. Today, India is a US$ 2.8 trillion ecomy clipping along at seven per cent growth rate. If this can be maintained, country’s per capita GDP can reach US$ 500 setting India on a course to becoming a US$ five trillion ecomy by 2025. ifs and buts can be removed only if trust is built and people are taken into confidence and governments focus on job creation and more job creation. Some 600 million people are expected to migrate to India’s cities by 2035 – where are services for m? I’ve said this before and will repeat it till I am blue in face – what is point in Make in India, when making in India for Indians is t top priority?

bridge to possible (chasing fourth industrial revolution, for example) must t destroy very foundations upon which or bridges that have got India moving. cour to jump off a cliff without nets must t mock at kwledge base that has cleared paths till w. Destroy what must go and preserve what must be because it is roots that set people free. Free from fear, free from uncertainty and certainly free from seeking new kwledge wher it is in realm of artificial intelligence or carpentry.

kwledge that eludes ps of Mahabharata may t be found elsewhere, Saran writes. It is one of India’s oldest texts where a battlefield is a venue for grand teachings and conversations and from where new geometries and alliances emerge. mess is clear. Anybody who doesn’t understand why kwledge must challenge, question, re-do, rethink and redefine and just t copy paste is smoking something very strong.